


Heal Your Heart

by Luna Draconis (LunaDraconis)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (No I do not), Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Inhumans (Marvel), Let's be honest you know what you're getting into with my writing, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Omega Original Female, Seriously do I ever write anything but Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-06 15:34:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16390400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaDraconis/pseuds/Luna%20Draconis
Summary: Life as an Omega is nigh-on impossible these days. So what's a girl to do but pretend to be a Beta? Which is all well and good until you run into your Alphas... who just happen to be Avengers.So much for pretending to be a Beta, right? Then again, who says you should confront your problems? So much better to avoid all of them. Every single delicious, Dorito-esque problem. Sounds like a much better plan. Yup.





	1. The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

**Author's Note:**

> Oops, my hand slipped.... 
> 
>  
> 
> In this fic, I'm going to switch between Leah's POV and third person narration... it's an experiment. If you're the praying type, now would be the time.

LEAH'S POV

After all those security checks, and the seemingly endless combat training, I had finally been cleared as a SHIELD medic... which, as frustrating as it had been, it could have been worse. First off, as an Omega pretending to be a Beta, some of my paperwork was falsified. By some of the best, granted, but SHIELD wasn't exactly running a baseline-level background check. Second, I wasn't a medical professional. Just an Inhuman with a healing ability, tracked down by Coulson after I was filmed healing burn victims in my hometown. 

So here I was, far from the mountains of my hometown, living in the big city. Ready to help heal SHIELD agents. I changed from my street clothes into scrubs, just wanting to finally dive in. 

I had just finished changing when I heard the commotion down the hall; people were shouting, medical terms tossed back and forth. Some parts caught my ear better than others; "they're not going to make it," "what can we do?" "even with their healing abilities?" and finally "Leah! Where are you?!" 

At the sound of my name, I bolted down the corridor. The owner of the voice was Fury himself, and I hoped that he was calling me to help, not to kick me out before my first day for falsifying documents.

"Here, Sir!" As I ran towards him, I could see the fallen agents laid out on stretchers. I nearly stumbled as I realized our patients were Captain America and the Winter Soldier themselves. 

Fury stepped forward to intercept me. "You're the Inhuman who heals people, right?"

I nodded, struck dumb in the face of the Director himself.

Fury echoed the movement, clearly thinking. "How much can you heal?"

I glanced at the limp forms on the stretchers. "As long as they're not dead, I can help...."

Fury seemed to notice my trailing off. "What? What do you need? Leah." My eyes came back to meet his. "What are you thinking?"

"The closer I am to them, the better...." Fury motioned for me to relay my needs to the various nurses and orderlies standing about. "I need a full-size bed. If we can't get that, we need two mattresses pushed together. Make sure everyone's wearing full decontaminating masks; the less their bodies are fighting the better chance they have." I grabbed a mask for myself, throwing it on as we ushered the two patients into our improvised recovery room. I directed the unconscious men to be laid out on the mattresses, then crawled between them, laying down with my shoulders brushing their arms. My hands found theirs, and I gently clasped them.

I took a deep breath, and turned my attention inward. There, swirling beneath my skin, was the energy. The healing energy I'd been fostering for years, just waiting to be tapped. I pulled the teal-toned energy out, through my hands, and into the men.

* * *

Hours after I had lain down, the men were well on the way to recovery. The head injury Barnes had sustained had healed nicely, only the crust of old blood showing an injury had ever taken place. The internal bleeding and the punctured lung that Rogers had been sporting were long gone, as well. They still had some healing to do - there were scrapes all over the two forms - but they weren't bleeding any more, and I had just about reached my limit. Besides, my scent suppressor was due to wear off soon, and I didn't want to be in a SHIELD facility when that happened.

I slowly, carefully sat up, the room spinning a bit as I did so. I managed to find my feet, staggering out into the hallway. As the door closed behind me, my legs collapsed.

I blinked slowly as it dawned on me that I hadn't hit the ground - someone had caught me as I fell.

"Easy, there." 

I knew that voice. My eyes had closed, and I couldn't find the energy to open them again, so I simply hummed my hello to Phil as he pulled off my decontamination mask.

"Want a hand to the showers?"

I shook my head, "No..." I managed. My tongue felt thick and heavy. "Home."

"Roger that." Phil helped me out of the building, and into a car that smelled suspiciously like Lola, but I couldn't find the energy to care, much less check.

Hands shook me awake... I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep. I looked around - sure enough, I was in Lola, and she was sitting on the street outside my apartment building. "Thanks, Phil."

"Anytime, Leah. You need help getting inside?"

A twinge of panic at the idea of someone coming inside my Omega-scented apartment. "No! No, I got it." And now a surge of guilt at the hurt in Phil's face. "I got it. We still on for coffee on Thursday?" 

I got a smile and a nod; good enough for me.

The five sets of stairs had never looked so daunting - and of course, the elevator was still out-of-order. I was beginning to suspect the elevator was just an empty shaft used to lure unsuspecting tenants.

But after much internal bitching and moaning, I made it into my apartment. My aching body demanded a shower, so I dragged myself under the water, not caring that it wasn't warmed up yet, that I was still wearing my clothes... I regretted that decision pretty immediately when I went to remove my clothes, crashed to the floor, wrestled with the wet fabric, and finally fell asleep curled up on the bath mat, still fully dressed and soaked.


	2. Love Sought is Good, but Given Unsought Better

ROGERS

Steve Rogers' eyes opened slowly, blinking against the cold, white light. As he looked around, he found himself in a bare, white room. He realized that the mattress he was sharing with Bucky was actually a pair of mattresses pushed together. 

Bucky's brow furrowed for just a moment, then he bolted upright, wide awake. "Where are we? How long have we been here?" 

Steve stared back, noticing some of Bucky's injuries were healed, realizing that he couldn't feel pain from his broken ribs anymore. "A couple of weeks, at least."

Bucky's jaw tightened.

Steve sniffed the air. Betas, lots of Betas - a good idea, if they were trying to contain a pair of soon-to-be-irate-Alphas. There was the smell of antiseptic everywhere, which made sense if whoever had captured the Alphas was trying to heal them up. And then... He breathed deeper. _Omega._ The scent, slight as it was, was like a punch to the gut.

Seeing the look in Steve's eyes, Bucky scented the air, too. The widening of his eyes confirmed Steves' assessment; they'd found their Omega. 

"Of all the times we could find 'em, it figures it'd be now. Isn't that right, Punk?" Bucky grinned, the battle camaraderie well in place.

Before Steve could answer, the door handle turned. The pair tensed, ready for battle.

"Ah! You're awake!"

"Coulson?!"

Coulson looked rather taken aback at this. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"Where are we?" Steve finally got himself enough together to ask.

"You're at a SHIELD medical facility. You're lucky to be alive, from what I've heard."

"How long have we been here?" Bucky rushed to ask.

"About 12 hours now, give or take." Coulson replied.

"That's not possible..." Steve started. He saw Coulson's look of askance and continued. "I broke my ribs out there, and they're healed - that'd take a couple of weeks, even with the serum and me in full health, but I had other injuries, too."

"You work with a pair of Nordic gods on a regular basis, and you're questioning the fact that we can keep you alive?"

"... Right...." Steve had been off-balance since he scented their Omega. Speaking of... "Who was the Omega in here?"

"Omega?" Coulson looked genuinely surprised. He ducked out of the room, pulling their charts. "Mmmm, there aren't any Omegas on the medical team. I could ask if we've had an Omega in this room as a patient, but there aren't many Omegas employed by SHIELD."

Steve nodded, looking at Bucky. It had come as quite the shock to the team when they found out Barton was an Omega, so it stood to reason that 1) there weren't many Omegas in SHIELD and 2) many of the Omegas that did work for SHIELD may not be identifiable as Omegas.

Finally, Bucky spoke. "Don't worry about it, Coulson. After all, it's about time this punk learned how to find a dame on his own."

Coulson gaped for a moment, then, "Right... I've got fresh clothes for you..." He placed the pile of folded clothes on the mattresses, between the two Alphas. "When you're ready, Fury wants to debrief your mission."

The door closed softly behind him.

Steve punched Bucky in the arm. "Really?!"


	3. Love is a Smoke Made With the Fume of Sighs

LEAH'S POV

 _Everything hurts... and I think I'm dying._ I pushed myself up, shivering in the light streaming through my bathroom window. My clothes were still damp, and everything had cramped up in the night - partly because I'd slept on the floor, but also partly because of the strain of the day before.

I tugged the clothes off, throwing them into the tub, and stumbled through my tiny living area to my bed, flopping down for a moment.

My phone buzzed. I sighed, and reached for it. It was the head nurse, calling me in - not having a regular medical license, I'd been entrusted to the head nurse. I'd expected a battle-axe of a woman, sharpened by years of treating SHIELD operatives, only to find an absolute teddy-bear of a woman, who apparently ran on sunshine and rainbows. **Not** the kind of person I wanted to talk to first thing in the morning... which, of course, meant she was the one who'd be giving me a ride on the worst morning in the history of mornings.

I hauled myself out of bed, staring longingly at my pillow and heated blanket as I tugged on street clothes for my commute.

* * *

I clawed my way out of the car, bursting with expletives. _How **dare** she be so fucking chipper in the morning? What did I do to deserve this punishment?!_

I could feel her waving behind me, but I was 100% sure that not even a steaming cup of hot chocolate - the good kind from Fair Trade with chili powder - could bring a smile to my face. And that was one of my guilty pleasures (when I could afford it).

It was odd that I could call to mind anything so specific at this hour of the morning... I shrugged it off, along with my civvie clothes, as I changed into scrubs for my shift. Someone - three guesses who - had put scrubs in my locker, knowing that I hadn't stocked up on them yet and had ruined my previous pair yesterday. I scowled down at them. _Unicorns. Why'd it have to be unicorns?_

When I stepped out into the corridor, I realized why the spicy hot chocolate had come to mind earlier; I could smell it. I followed my nose, not having anywhere I needed to be yet, hoping to find the source of the smell. If I was lucky, perhaps I could bum a cup off them.

As I got closer to the main entrance, the scent intensified, and it wasn't alone. Whoever was drinking my favorite hot cocoa had pumpkin pie; also a favorite of mine. My pace quickened.

I'd almost reached the source of the scent when the alert went off.

* * *

To an outsider, the hospital would have seemed frantic, all of the high-energy and quick hand-offs. But on closer inspection, it was a well-oiled machine; the movements were fast, but precise, and no one ever missed a hand-off. 

I finished patching up the agent I was working on, and went to dive back into the fray.

And I was just enough of an insider to immediately notice the two men, standing in the middle of the ebb and flow of hospital workers, looking lost. It was a bit startling to realize they were the same men I'd treated a day or so before - I'd lost track of time, but between the constant onslaught of SHIELD agents from the building that had been bombed and the sleep deprivation, it felt like weeks. Like boulders in the middle of the stream, the movement parted around the two supersoldiers. Unlike boulders, they would occasionally reach out and touch a nurse's shoulder, ask them a question, and look disappointed as he or she answered and disappeared back into the constant movement.

Elsie, the head nurse, saw me and followed my gaze to the two men in question. She tutted a moment, looking indecisive.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know what they want, but now is certainly not the time for it..." Her brow furrowed.

 _Why doesn't she just- Oh._ It finally hit me. "You can't ask them to leave, can you?" 

"I may, but... What do you to say to them? 'Thank you for your service, now get out?'"

I thought about it a moment. "You know, I think that ought to do it quite nicely. Excuse me." I waded through the current made up of my coworkers, finally reaching Captain America and the Winter Soldier.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I wasn't smelling cocoa and pie; I was smelling _them_. Which meant... _Oh, shit..._ They were my mates. My Alphas.

I tried not to look stunned as they turned to greet me, my eyes finally locking with theirs. I didn't have time for this. _Well... in for a penny, in for a pound._ "Thank you for your service.... Now, get out."

Their jaws dropped.

I grabbed them by the shoulders, and started steering them toward the exit. "I'm sure you have a very good reason to be here, but now is not a good time. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to give you the number of our help desk, but otherwise, you're going to have to go." I finished pushing them through the front doors.

There was something rather satisfying about watching their mouths open and shut without any noise coming out; rather like fish out of water. They deserved that much after throwing off my groove. And making me crave cocoa and pie.

I threw them a mock salute, and marched back into the fray. _I mean, it can't get any worse, right?_

* * *

I stared at the digital punch clock. "Four.... days? I've been here.... for... four **days**?!" If I counted all the times I'd reapplied scent suppressors and did the math, it checked out...

Never test the fates.

Elsie gave me a pat on the back. "You did well! Not everyone would've been able to have a first week like this one. On the bright side-" 

_I'm not entirely sure she has anything **but** a bright side..._

" - it doesn't get much worse than this!" She beamed at me.

"Uh-huh." Forgive me if I'm not that excited about the whole thing....

"Speaking of, you've got the next few days off. Rest up! And remember to stock up on scrubs, dear." A little wave, and she was gone.

"Wait, I'm off?"

* * *

I caught a bus home, and could have cried when I saw my dear, sweet, supportive bed. With it's carefully selected pillows and ultra-soft memory foam pad - I'd splurged and gotten an Omega's pad, with a formed bowl shape perfect for nesting, as a treat for myself - I was about to get the best sleep of my life.

I flopped into my nest, humming contentedly.

Until I realized something was missing. I looked around, counting the pillows and blankets. No, that was all of them... I thought for a moment, trying to process the feeling.... Ah.

I was craving hot cocoa and pumpkin pie.


	4. But if Mine, Then Yours, And So All Yours

ROGERS

Steve had been off for the past few days; ever since smelling their Omega. It bothered him, though not as much as it would have, had Bucky not been struggling as well... Just that morning, for example, Steve had had to push Bucky's bowl of cereal under his hand - Bucky had been pouring milk onto the counter while staring off into space for a few moments. 

This couldn't go on. 

Not that they had much choice in the matter; they'd talked to everyone in the hospital, hoping to find their Omega hiding among the staff or at least get some information. They'd finally gotten pushed out the door by a rather steely-eyed Beta - what was her name, Lee? Leigh? - who had said they were getting in the way. If he hadn't smelled the Beta on her, he would've thought she was an Alpha... _That reminds me, I wanted to talk to Fury about bringing her on as staff dedicated to the team..._ Not many Betas could stand up to an Alpha, much less an Avenger. And if she had the strength to do so when said Alphas were trying to track down their Omega, she'd do well in the field...

He paused in his musing, watching Bucky send a free hand out, feeling along the table. He finally took pity on him, and slid the glass of water into the searching hand. _Where else could she be?_

"Pardon the interruption, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Barnes-" JARVIS began, "but Director Fury has called for a new-tech briefing."

Steve glanced at Bucky, whose eyes were still glazed over, staring out over the city. "We're on our way," he replied. "For all the good we'll be able to do..." he added under his breath.

* * *

Steve was _trying_ to pay attention. He really was. But he just couldn't get comfortable. Thus far he'd stolen two of the blankets, as well as co-opting Bucky's jacket and every pillow in the common room. It didn't make sense; this couch was one of his favorite places to hang out in the tower.... Granted, usually he was spooning Bucky... He pulled Bucky closer, huffing when this did not fix his problem.

"Exactly! And that way we could- Steve, are you even listening to me?"

It took a moment for Tony's words to register. "What?" Steve replied, still distracted by the elusive missing piece of his puzzle.

"I _said_ are you- what _are_ you doing, anyway?" Tony cocked his head to one side, taking in the scene. The light bulb popped on. "Steve.... are you... nesting?"

Everyone turned to take in the scene.

"I... I'm not! I'm... trying to get comfortable." Steve tried to sound confident in his answer. And failed. 

Tony didn't look convinced. "Uh-huh. JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Have you overheard any conversations about Capsicle here finding his mate?"

"He and Mr. Barnes were discussing how to find her, Sir?"

"That's what I thought. Thank you, JARVIS."

"Always a pleasure, sir," the AI intoned.

"Fine, I'm stockpiling. Happy?" Steve huffed.

Tony looked like the cat that got the canary. "Nope! You're definitely nesting! Isn't she a lucky Omega, having an Alpha who will prepare a nest for her?"

Steve was on his feet before he knew it, furious that Tony would dare to taunt him about his Omega. Fortunately, Bucky (while tuned out to the rest of the world) was tuned in to him, managing to catch him by the belt before he could surge toward the offending Omega.

Steve shook himself, growled out "I'll be in the gym," and stalked out of the room, leaving a stunned, silent room in his wake.

"I've got 'm." Bucky murmured, heading out of the room after his Alpha pair.

There was another moment of silence before Pepper stood from her seat in the corner. All the eyes in the room tracked her as she gracefully glided across the floor to her Omega. She brushed his hair away from his face, smoothing it back gently. Her hand found his ear, and she not-so-gently tugged him down. "Clearly I've been a bit too lenient... I apologize for my Omega's behavior. If you'll excuse us, it's time someone got reminded what proper behavior looks like." One bright, sunshiny smile from Pepper later - along with one breathy "Alpha!" from Tony - and the room descended into wide-eyed silence once more.

Clint finally spoke up. "What the fuck just happened?"


	5. Cupid is a Knavish Lad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW, lovelies :) Sex-related shtuff ahead!

ROGERS and BARNES

Steve glared at the ceiling. Another morning without their mate. He sat up, gently moving Bucky's right hand from his thigh as he struggled out of bed. He couldn't just sit still. 

He started by picking up the sweats that Bucky hadn't managed to get into the hamper the night before, setting them on the edge of the bed. Then he went to the closet, reorganizing first by color, then by weather, and finally settled on sorting by type (and by colors within each type). He then grabbed a rag, and started dusting.

Bucky, meanwhile, watched lazily from the bed, content to let Steve do whatever it was he needed to do. But when the vacuum cleaner came out, enough was enough. "Why don't you go for a run?"

"I don't- I- I guess..." Steve changed out of his pajamas, leaving the dirty pair on the bed. Bucky raised an eyebrow at this, but figured it was best not to say anything.

While Steve was on his run, Bucky called Fury, as he and Steve had decided that the Beta woman would be perfect to have on-hand at Avengers tower; between the various Alphas (and Betas and Omegas) on the team, the various missions, and all the staff in the tower, there was always a need for a level-headed Beta, especially one with medical skills. _Especially when Steve always pulls the stupid shit when my back is turned..._

Fury was reluctant at first. Apparently the Beta had healing abilities of some sort. But after some arguing - and pointing out that Steve I-Jump-Out-of-Airplanes-without-Parachutes Rogers was an "asset," a "national treasure," and an "idiot" - Fury finally agreed to having the Beta, Leah, work at Avengers tower.

When Steve came back, he stripped out of his clothes, threw them on the bed, and headed for the showers.

And that was when Bucky realized something was truly wrong. He stared at the clothes, trying to figure out why - after receiving constant lectures from Steve about not leaving clothes lying around - Steve of all people was putting dirty clothes on the bed. He was just picking up said clothes when Steve returned from the shower, and growled at him to "leave them be."

* * *

In all honesty, Steve himself wasn't quite sure why he wanted the clothes on the bed, but damned if he was going to let them be moved. He stalked out of the elevator into the common area. 

Pepper had left a full apology letter where it couldn't be missed - taped to Stark's heaving chest. With Thor's permission, she'd made use of Mjölnir as an anchor point to her apology display. There wasn't any other word for it. The inventor was bound kneeling in a full-body rope harness, his arms crossed behind his back, Mjölnir's handle threaded up behind him, forcing him upright. Other than the rope and a blindfold, he was bare, showing the effects of a full night of teasing by his Alpha, his erection jutting from his groin, angrily red. Pepper was nowhere in sight, but in her apology letter she mentioned that she was monitoring her Omega from another room (where he couldn't smell her)... And that the boys were welcome to remind Tony that this was a punishment. It wouldn't be the first time.

Steve ignored the display for the most part - he had more important things to think about than Tony's faux pas - but he growled in Tony's ear as he retrieved the note. Tony arched toward the sound, hoping that in forgiveness he'd find relief, only to find empty air as Steve moved away.

Bucky took the opportunity to trail his lips from the inventor's neck down his body, kissing his way down, laying one last kiss on Tony's hip before blowing air across the bound man's tip. It was enough to make him cry out and writhe against his bindings, but even as worked up as the Omega was, it wasn't quite enough to make him cum. Since he couldn't wave goodbye to the blindfolded man, Bucky made do with a quick nip at his nipple and a growl in his ear before he left the shuddering Omega to join Steve looking out the massive windows of the tower.

Bucky glanced at his Alpha pair. "Fury's going to send over that Beta. I can brief her, if you'd like."

"I can do it. I need something to do right now." Steve replied. "I don't know what else we can do, but at the same time, it doesn't feel right to sit on our hands and do nothing..."

"I know." Bucky was still, quiet. His training made him patient, made him still. But he could understand the desire to act rather than wait, even though they had trained much of his impatience out of him. When it came to their Omega, even he was getting antsy.

JARVIS spoke up. "Mr. Rogers, the Beta in question has arrived. Would you like me to send her up?"

The tension in Steve's shoulders broke, his eyes gliding to Tony's whimpering form. "Send her to the conference room, JARVIS."

"Of course, Sir," came the reply.

But Steve wasn't listening; his mind was already gearing up for the task at hand. He headed toward the elevator, pausing at Tony's side to purr, "Now, you're going to be a good Omega, aren't you?" with the full weight of his Alpha identity behind it. Tony was still babbling about how good he'd be for Steve as the elevator doors slid shut behind the smirking Alpha.

Bucky stared out over the city, still trying to think of some way they could find their Omega. If they had seen her, they would've been able to search for her. And given all of the information they had found thus far, he'd bet his metal arm that she was using scent blockers and playing Beta. Then he got an idea. A marvelous idea. The Bucky had a wonderful, marvelous idea! The Beta that was coming to work for Avengers tower knew the workers at the hospital. And she might know, or be able to figure out, who was actually an Omega! It couldn't be that hard, after all... 

He was so caught up in planning that he didn't hear the elevator doors open, only realizing he wasn't alone when Sam drawled "Damn, Pepp trussed the poor guy up like a Thanksgiving turkey!"

Bucky turned to greet him. "Say what you will about her, she knows her way around some rope." He came to thread his fingers through Tony's hair, pulling his head back. Tony moaned in response.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Sam asked, tentative for once.

Bucky grinned evilly. "Oh, quite the opposite. As a matter of fact...." He stepped away, Tony whimpering in apprehension. 

Stark jumped half out of his skin when the bluetooth headset came over his ears. "JARVIS?" Bucky asked.

"Yes, sir?" Came the level reply.

"I want a constant audio feed of knotting porn played over this headset until Pepper comes to get him. Think you can do that?"

"Of course, sir."

Bucky winked at the camera trained on the soon-to-be Iron Puddle as he stepped up to the elevator. "You might want to get some earplugs, Sam. This one's rather vocal."


	6. All Thy Vexations / Were But My Trials of Thy Love

LEAH'S POV

_There's no reason to panic.... None at all._ I tried to convince myself.  _Fury's probably sending me here for a check-up. Right? That's a normal thing for him to do..._ I tried to breathe as the Lyft pulled up in front of Avengers' Tower.

"Hi, I'm here to see... Um... The Avengers?" I told the woman at the front desk.

For her part, she looked skeptical. At that moment, the phone rang. She didn't seem surprised - I guess she had been waiting for that call. "Yes? Yes, she is. Right away, JARVIS."

_"JARVIS?" As in the AI, JARVIS?_ If JARVIS was keeping that close an eye on the goings-on of the Tower, I really shouldn't spend any more time here than I had to; who knows what he'd be able to figure out?

I stepped into the elevator, trying not to fidget. I may or may not have screamed when the elevator started talking to me.

"Hello, Ms. Taylor." He paused as I caught my breath. "My apologies for startling you. I have been asked to direct you to the conference room: Mr. Rogers will be meeting you there."

"Please tell me you're referring to the 'won't you be my neighbor," Mr. Rogers?"  _A girl can dream!_

There was a pause, then "I'm afraid not." 

"Damn." 

JARVIS chose not to comment on my rather odd desire to  _not_ meet Captain America, instead directing me to the conference room. The man in question had managed to beat me to the room, and was seated at the large table, turned to stare out the massive windows. A rather intimidating pile of paperwork sat on the table beside him.

"Hello?" I said from the doorway, not entirely sure what the protocols were. 

He swung around and stood to greet me. "Oh! You're here!" He seemed a bit off-kilter, but then again, I probably did, too. "Miss-" he glanced down at the stack of paperwork "Taylor, was it?"

"You can call me Leah." I sat down opposite him.

"And you can call me Steve..." He sat back down in his chair.

We had a moment of awkward silence, with him seeming a bit glassy-eyed, and my trying not to piss off one of the high-ranking SHIELD members. 

"Oh! Drinks!"

The sudden outburst gave me a jolt. "Excuse me?"

"Would you like something to drink? I can have-"

"I'm alright..." We stared at each other for another moment. "Look, Mr. Rogers-"

"Steve."

"Steve. I- How should I put this? While I'm honored that I got to visit the Avengers home base, I really should be getting back to work. So if we could get down to whatever business you called me here for?"

"Right... right. Right! I, um..." He stared at the pile of papers, as if hoping that they would speak for him. "Paperwork! We want you to fill this out-" He waved his hand at the paperwork, and accidentally knocked the pile over, the papers fluttering to the ground as he stared at them dejectedly. "I... I am so sorry... I'm not myself right now...."

My stomach knotted.  _What is wrong with him? He's been off this whole time..._ I stood and rounded the table, knelt down in front of him, and grabbed his hands away from the papers. 

"What are you-"

"Shhh." I sent my energy out, tendrils checking in with him, trying to see if there was some damage to his system, or if he'd been drugged. "There's... nothing wrong with you..."

He stared at me, then laughed. "I wouldn't say that... I've been struggling ever since I scented my Omega."

Every hair on my body stood on end.  _He couldn't have called me here because he knows, could he?_

At that moment, Mr. Barnes barged in. "Ah! Just the woman I was looking for."

The knot in my throat grew.  _They know! I'm so screwed!_

"I just realized that you might be able to help us out in more ways than one!"

I blinked at him. "What?"

Steve cleared his throat. "I, um... hadn't gotten to that part yet."

I stared between the two of them, and decided that it was better to bite the bullet than to wait for their ancient asses to get to the point. "What's going on? Mr. Barnes?"

"Call me Bucky; everyone does." He settled his frame into the nearest office chair, relaxing into it. "What Stevie was supposed to tell you was that you're being promoted to being a personal doctor for the Avengers."

"I'm what?!" I tried not to scream.

"Yeah, it's very exciting." He waved his hand, dismissing that section of the conversation. Then he sat forward, his eyes drilling into me. "But I've got a much more important mission for you."

I just stared at him. 

"I realized that you worked at the hospital when we scented our Omega." He continued. "And I have to ask...

_Oh, shit, here it comes..._

"Do you think you could help us figure out who they are?"

My jaw dropped. "What?"

Mr. Barnes - Bucky - had the audacity to look embarrassed. "We... we couldn't figure out who it was. We think he or she is using a scent-blocker, so we can't find them by scent." He frowned. "Why they haven't scented us and found us, we don't know..."

_I might have an idea why that is...._ "So why do you think I can help?"

"Well, you worked with those people, right? You must have noticed when one of your coworkers acted differently. I mean, how can you be in that close of quarters with someone and  _not_ notice that they're an Omega?" He beamed at me. "Which means, you probably could figure out who's an Omega in your department, and once we know that, we can figure out who is  _our_ Omega."

_... He's talking to an Omega... about how easy it would be to spot an Omega... when he hasn't realized I'm an Omega yet.... Bless his- Wait a minute..._

I held up my hand to stop the excited man. "Rewind for a minute. What's all this about me being a personal doctor for the Avengers?"

Steve took over. "We're having you stationed here to see to our injuries. Fury may steal you occasionally to treat badly injured agents, but you'll be on-shift here... You get a raise, too."

"... No, thank you."

Poor Steve, having gathered up all the paperwork, was so stunned he almost dropped it again. "What?"

"While I appreciate the offer, I'm going to have to decline."

"Why?" Bucky was frowning again.

"First off, I'm not a doctor. Yes, I can heal, but I'm not an actual doctor. Second, there's only so much I can do in a day. If I do too much, it knocks me out. What if all of you are injured? I don't have the power for that. Third, the commute is almost three times as long, and I don't own a car."

Steve sighed with relief. "Oh, that. We have actual doctors on staff; we'd need you mainly in case we are so badly injured the doctors aren't sure we'll make it - like last time. What was the third problem? Oh, commute..." He looked to Bucky, who shrugged. "I'm sure we can give you living quarters in the Tower."

"No!"  _I can **not** live in the Tower. That's just begging to be discovered. _ "I mean... I really like my apartment. Besides, I don't really want to sit around all day waiting for you to be injured. That's not why I agreed to work for SHIELD as a medic."

Silence reigned for a few moments, then JARVIS cut in. "If I may... Mr. Fury has agreed to a personal transport for Ms. Taylor. This would allow her to travel from her apartment to either the Tower or to the SHIELD hospital. He also stressed the importance of you being available at the Tower, Ms. Taylor, as injuries in the Avengers range from major blows sustained in battle, to scrapes sustained while roaming the air vents. He is most insistent that you agree to be staffed here."

Something in the way JARVIS said it gave me the feeling that Fury's "most insistent" had consisted of threats should I choose not to take the job.  _Well, if a bunch of trained doctors and nurses didn't notice I'm an Omega..._

"Fine. I'll do it." I turned to Bucky. "But finding Omegas is not in my job description."

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Posts new chapter  
> 2) Bounces up and down  
> 3) Waits for reaction  
> 4) Looks to audience  
> 5) *crickets*
> 
> Seriously, though. Comments are super appreciated, and I always respond (b/c I have no life).


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